Ei-iE

Teacher unionists from Nigeria have expressed huge concerns over the insufficient financing of universal basic education programmes in the different States across the country.

The national leadership of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is greatly worried by revelations from the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Commission, Dr. Suleiman Dikko, who explained about the failure of State governments to access over 40 percent of the grant allocated by the Federal government for the implementation of UBE programmes in the States.

The NUT considers that this demonstrates the State governments’ lack of concern for the development of public primary education in the country and represents one of the main reasons why Nigeria could not meet the expected target for achieving Education for All by 2015, said NUT General Secretary Obong I.J. Obong on 25 August.

Over the years, the Federal government has allocated two percent of its consolidated revenue fund to improve quality public primary education in the country. Obong insisted that the state governments’ inability to access their allocation is “most regrettable” and a “disservice” to the development of primary education across the country.

According to Obong, the situation has degenerated to a point where school students in some states receive their lessons under trees.

With the increasing demand for quality education and infrastructure development in our schools, State governments’ reluctance to access UBE fund demonstrates “their gross disregard for their responsibility over the improvement of education in Nigeria,” he added.

The NUT is calling on all State governors to take urgent steps to access the UBE Commission’s available funds and use them to address their primary schools’ issues. It is only by so doing that they will show some concern towards increasing the status of primary education in Nigeria, the trade union leader stressed.